The Foreign Service Journal, February 2011

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 35 ment, and to highlight how such protections enhance economic de- velopment and innovation in both our countries. These alliances — under the banner of “Entrepreneurs Unite” — are a critical component in achieving our IP objectives. The message appears to be tak- ing root. In October 2010 China’s State Council announced a six- month campaign of heightened en- forcement, called the Program for a Special Campaign on Combating IPR Infringement and Manufac- ture and Sales of Counterfeit and Shoddy Commodities. While some cynics dismissed this as “just another campaign,” it is the first time that any- thing like it has been announced by the State Council and coordinated across multiple Chinese ministries. The cam- paign represents an opportunity to press for appropriate structural change so that strength- ened enforcement can become sus- tainable. The participation of numerous high-level PRC officials in Amb. Huntsman’s IPR Dialogue in Bei- jing last November, and improved access to government offices and business chambers, may also be signs of closer cooperation on the issue. Washington pressed the Chi- nese government on these issues at the December meeting of the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, and built upon those efforts during the state visit of President Hu Jintao to the United States in early 2011. Progress on both the State Council campaign and these government-to-government dialogues will be highlighted in submissions from industry andMission China for inclu- F O C U S Countries that do not offer adequate protection of intellectual property rights are “named and shamed” in the annual Special 301 Report prepared by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.